About UsOne Planet Education Network® (OPEN) is an international educational service provider and content developer. OPEN’s mission is to apply its technology-based education programs to create an ongoing communications channel between cultures of the world in order to promote lifelong learning on topics of universal importance, and engender greater understanding and compassion.
Since its inception in 1998 OPEN’s mission has been to collaborate with a diversity of top-tier, like-minded organizations (for-profit, not-for-profit, foundations, public and private educational institutions), to utilize the best technology applications and the new teaching practices that they require, to not only improve education and provide equal access for all, but to facilitate and promote cross-cultural exchange and understanding. Our goal is to earn the greatest return for our investors with a socially-driven business model.
From Copenhagen to the Carolinas, from Brooklyn to the Far East, OPEN has created an international classroom that promotes stimulating dialogue and engenders understanding of past civilizations and contemporary interdisciplinary issues. Since 1998, millions of students and professionals worldwide have participated and viewed OPEN's programs. Our partnerships with top-tier educational and other professional organizations and institutions worldwide ensure the highest quality program content and delivery.
*(Sir) Graham Nash,
Thank you Graham!
George Newman, CEO and PresidentGeorge launched OPEN in early 1998, and is responsible for strategic business development, partnerships, and large scale project management and support. He also has over thirty years of experience in the fields of information technology services and education. OPEN develops and distributes multidisciplinary online curriculum/programming solutions, offers teacher training/professional development, and the necessary technology and program support services. OPEN’s current and future work focuses on the development, marketing/distribution and support of online 3D Multiuser Virtual Environments (MUVEs) to the K-12 education and home education markets.
Anna Arici Ph.D, Research and Design OfficerAnna brings vast experience to OPEN in numerous areas of education, with a particular focus in the field of learning sciences. Anna has dual Ph.D.s in Educational Psychology and in the Cognitive Sciences, and her contributions span curriculum design, 3D world design, classroom implementations, evaluation and assessment of learning gains, research and grant reports, and professional development for teachers. Anna’s research has documented the benefits gained from engaging students in 3D interactive learning worlds, including significant learning and motivation gains, as well as longer retention over time (as compared to traditional classroom learning). Anna was a founding member and cognitive scientist for the pioneering Quest Atlantis 3D MUVE education program, as well as a designer for the Virtual Congress project. Anna brings with her years of experience as an educator in the middle school, high school, and collegiate levels.
Adam Ingram-Goble, Lead Programmer and DesignerIn his position with OPEN, Adam is using his systems and programming knowledge, and deep understanding of QA operational functionality and desired design features to develop a highly stable and scalable system to support anticipated program scaling and more effective and efficient education program development. Adam’s professional educational research background greatly complements and enhances his programming knowledge for assisting in new program development work as well as in-classroom implementation and review.
Carlos Dantas, Chief Technology Officer (CTO)Carlos has twenty-five years of computer technology experience. He is currently responsible for technical strategy and execution across OPEN’s learning game business. Dantas will also be responsible for all technical aspects of the online 3D educational system; i.e. system design, development methodologies, implementation, deployment, testing and support; that will be used to support the project. He has held positions at MIT Lincoln Labs, Microsoft, Digital Equipment Corp, and has been an enterprise level, technical architectural consultant for major international business software development firms. He has worked directly across the entire spectrum of software business, from design through implementation and brings business process standards, enterprise architectural design, structured development processes, testing methodologies, and implementation project management.
Edward Crowley, Strategic Business Development OfficerEdward has architected and developed business methodologies for software systems including the BankCapital System™ and The Wizard of Edgar™. Mr. Crowley has over 30 years experience in developing new business opportunities in corporate finance. He has been the CEO of Bankers Capital; a Massachusetts-based corporate finance company, since 1991. His duties will include developing the business strategy to commercialize OPEN’s 3D learning games and to ensure that the company is well capitalized to execute its plans.
Sandy Upham, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)Sandy is a results-driven marketing maven with 25 years of traditional and online marketing and management experience. Sandy’s extensive experience includes market analysis, strategic planning, brand development, new product launches, advertising, sales promotions, licensing, marketing communications, media and social media relations, market research and team leadership and management. Over the span of her career, Sandy has developed an expertise in youth and family marketing, via various marketing management positions at Fortune 500 companies such as Hasbro, Inc, Dorel Juvenile Group, and Alloy, Inc, as well as mid-sized companies such as Constant Contact, Cabot Advertising and Rossin Greenberg Seronick and Hill Advertising. Sandy is responsible for overseeing OPEN’s marketing function, with a focus on building and promoting the OPEN brand and defining and leveraging the company’s marketing mix to drive sales.